Thursday, March 26, 2009

Premna tomentosa Willd.

English Name : Bastard teak

Family : Lamiaceae

Origin : Tropical Asia

Description
A shrub or small to medium-sized tree up to 20 m tall, with bole up to 30(-50) cm in diameter, often crooked and fluted at base, bark fissured or striate and shaggy, grey or yellowish to pale brown or pale rusty; indumentum consisting of branched or stellate hairs. Leaves ovate or ovate-orbicular to ovate-oblong, (3-)10-35 cm x (2.5-)6-22 cm, entire, densely tomentose beneath, petiolate. Flowers with pedicel 0.5-1 mm long, corolla white, greenish-white or yellowish. Fruit obovoid-globose, 3-6 mm long, green turning black.

Habitat
Occurs frequently in open forest and deciduous forest, in Java up to 800 m altitude.


Parts Used : Whole plant, leaf, bark and root

Herb Effects
Used as a diuretic (leaves)

Medicinal Use
A decoction of the roots and leaves is used as a tonic in mixtures after childbirth. The bark is used to treat diarrhoea. The leaves are crushed and applied to sores, and used externally to treat dropsy. The dried entire plant is used to soothe skin irritation caused by caterpillars.

Reference

No comments: